How to recover from 5 embarrassing career setbacks

Have you ever felt like burying your head in the sand and waiting until no one remembers what just happened? Positive thinking sounds awesome in theory, but it won't help you erase a mistake. What can help is smart, adaptive action. Here are five common head-in-the-sand scenarios and what you can do to make the best of them:

1. You're Fired

Being fired, especially from a job you love, is one of the most devastating things that can happen. It's not only the missing paycheck that hurts; it's the humiliation and the doubts about your self-worth.

I should know. Two years ago, I was fired from a job I loved, and that bitterness still lingers. But feeling bitter and acting bitter are two different things. If you want to turn being fired into an opportunity, consider these options:

Volunteer and freelance. My former colleague was fired from his position as a junior graphic designer, but just one month later he made the jump to become a lead designer in a well-known nonprofit.

How did he do it? He chose not to be paid for his new position. However, it was a massive credibility boost, and his work quickly became some of the most well-known in the industry. Today, he makes more money freelancing part time than he made working full time.

Go to a competitor. Offer your services, and you might even get a raise. If you've done amazing work, don't have a non-compete clause in your contract and you hate your former boss (kidding ... well, not really), this is a great option to explore.

Don't think it's possible? Recruiters specialize in looking for people just like you. It's called "talent poaching." So why don't you just present yourself to the company and save them a couple thousand dollars in finder's fees?

2. You're Demoted

What if you're demoted, not fired? You don't have the time to freelance or volunteer, and you can't switch camps either. What should you do?

Look at it this way: Your boss probably felt bad that he or she needed to demote you in the first place (if you've been doing a great job). That gives you an opportunity to ask for what you previously couldn't get.

For example, accept the demotion, but see if you can negotiate a flexible working schedule (location- or time-wise) that will allow you to take on clients of your own.

3. You're Stagnant

Career stagnation happens when you've learned all you can from a position but can't seem to move up. You should understand two things in order to turn this into an opportunity.

One: This is the time to expand your job and responsibilities. Train an intern, hire an outsourced worker to help with repetitive tasks (while you verify the results, of course) or practice using a new tool. You won't have the time to deal with these things once you're taking on new responsibilities.

And two: Use your extra time to attend company-funded training. You'll not only learn skills that are directly related to your job, but also skills that will help you sell yourself. That's probably what you're really missing if you're stagnant.

4. You Made a Legendary Mistake

Those of you who are old enough will remember a legendary screw-up called "New Coke." To this day, marketing professionals still talk about it, and Malcolm Gladwell wrote about it in his bestselling book, "Blink," even though it happened two decades ago.

What do you do when you screw up so badly the whole industry knows about it?

Create a case study out of it. Executives LOVE case studies, especially when they come from someone who made such a legendary mistake. In the study, explain why the decisions you made were rational at the time, and what you did after you found out the project was a failure.

Note that there's nothing here about "spinning" failure into something positive. For example, don't say, "At least we got lots of publicity." That only shows you haven't learned your lesson.

Believe it or not, there are executives out there who absolutely love people who've made big mistakes. In fact, a lack of blunders in your past could turn them off. Search for these people and figure out how to work for or with them.

5. You're Simply Bored

Nearly three-quarters of American workers are either not engaged or actively disengaged in their jobs, according to a 2011 study published by Gallup. If you're one of these people, then listen up: prolonged boredom literally kills.

Now, I won't go into the science in this post, but if you want to use this to your advantage, here's how: Tell your boss you've been doing this awesome work (quantify your claims so he can't dispute them), but that you're bored. Explain that if this lack of interest goes on, your productivity will go down and the company will make $X less or spend $Y more.

Make sure you get that last part. It's important to make it about the company, not about you.

When your boss asks how he can help, name your price. If your boredom will cost the company $20,000 in sales, they'd probably be glad to send you to a $10,000 conference that will help you increase your productivity.

(Patrick Del Rosario is a contributor to Brazen Careerist. He works with Open Colleges, one of Australia's leading providers of online education. Brazen Careerist is a lifestyle and career blog for ambitious young professionals. This isn't your parents' career-advice column. Be Brazen.)